You know it was a successful season of American Idol when people are in tears and ready to move to Canada over the final ballot.

Due to her basketball schedule, Josie and I didn't start watching this season until they were well into the top ten.  It didn't take long for us to immerse ourselves in it and choose favorites.  I was in Danny Gokey's camp right from the beginning.  Josie immediately threw her texting ability behind Kris Allen, because he's sooooo cute.  The first time I saw Adam Lambert perform was during country music week and his rendition of Ring of Fire left me confused.  I agreed with Simon who simply asked "What the hell was that?"  I did not understand the love so many fans already had for the kid who looked like he just wandered off the set of Twilight.

It took about three weeks for me to get it.  I don't even remember what he sang, but Adam proved to me that he can do anything and make it great entertainment.

Josie remained firmly in Kris's camp.

To give him credit, when Kris was good he was excellent and he was good more and more often as the season went on.  Danny, on the other hand was hit or miss; when he was good he was great and when he wasn't he was Taylor Hicks and there was no knowing from song to song which  we were going to get.

Josie had given up Idol for two years, having declared that she would never watch again after the early dismissal of Chris Daughtry.  She has softened somewhat towards the show since Chris has been so successful despite his fourth place finish.  Plus, did I mention how cute she thinks Kris Allen is?

So it all came down to a duel between two very different styles of artists.  It was like watching James Taylor duke it out with Robert Plant.

MJ burst into tears at the injustice of it.  "I feel like going out in my backyard and digging a hole," she sniffled.  "And I don't know why."

This is part of an email I recieved this morning;

"I'm a gun-lovin', gay-lovin', anti death penalty, pro life, pro birth control, tree hugging feminist hawk who wants to pay less taxes.  So here's my point; AMERICA NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETIMES, BEHIND THE SCENES, THINGS HAPPEN THEY MAY NOT FIND SO PLEASANT.  BUT GUESS WHAT?  WATERBOARDING ISN'T AS BAD AS EVERYONE THINKS AND NEITHER IS A DICK IN THE ASS.
Unbelievable.  It's just unbelievable."

I don't think Adam came in second because of his sexuality.  I really don't think America cares about that.

There's no debate as to which of these two has more talent.  No argument as to which can out sing the other.  No contest as to which is an original genius and which is simply a cutie with a guitar.

Kris Allen won American Idol based on  the texting ability of several million 13-15 year old girls.  Fer cryin' out loud, one of them texted over 14,500 times in a month not too long ago.  Who do you think she was voting for Tuesday night?  The scary goth screamer or the dreamboat who seems much too polite to try to stick his hand up her shirt?

Winning American Idol is no guarantee of record sales.  Just ask Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks.  Neither is losing American Idol a career killer.  Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken and Chis Daughtry laugh at the idea.  Adam is more talented than all of them put together.  I'm not worried about his career.

One disgruntled viewer said to me last night that with Obama in the white house and Kris Allen winning Idol, we should change our national motto to "America; stomping out excellence one vote at a time."

I haven't heard from my brother Bill, who described himself as "a ball of hate" after Daughtry got the boot.  He's probably still under his bed, curled into a fetal position.

That's great television.

 

What did you think of this article?

Liked
Disliked
No Opinion